Book Review: Citizen Identity Formation of Domestic Students and Syrian Refugee Youth in Jordan: Centering Student Voice and Arab-Islamic Ontologies by Patricia K. Kubow

Abstract

In Citizen Identity Formation of Domestic Students and Syrian Refugee Youth in Jordan: Centering Student Voice and Arab-Islamic Ontologies, Patricia K. Kubow explores constructions of citizen identity and sense of belonging through focus groups with Jordanian students and Syrian refugees who attend double-shift public schools in Amman, Jordan. In her review of Kubow’s book, Ozen Guven highlights how Syrian and Jordanian students construct their Arab-Islamic identities in the context of school interactions, and in parallel with the school curriculum. She also points out the challenges Syrian students face as they negotiate multiple identities and navigate feelings of inclusion in the context of the Jordanian education system. Guven highlights the book’s contribution to the education in emergencies literature, namely, that it reflects the broader global policy shift toward refugee inclusion in host-country education systems. She concludes that the book is a rich new source for scholars studying citizenship education.